Antitheft attachment for pocketbooks and the like



Nov. 4 9240 s. ROESNER ANTITHEFT ATTACHMENT FOR POCKETBOOKS AND THE LIKE Filed March 5, 1923 Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

I UNITED STATES SIEGMUND ROESNER, OF CICERO, ILLINOIS.

ANTITHEFT ATTACHMENT FOR POGKETBOQKS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed March 3, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIEGMUND RoEsNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cicero, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Antitheft Attachments for Pocketbooks and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices designed to prevent the theft of pocket books and similar articles from the pockets: of the owners by making it impossible for a thief to abstract the pocket book without attracting the attention of the owner of the latter to his operations during the attempt; and, in its essential features, it consists of a device in the nature of a clip or clamp adapted to be engaged with theupper edge portion of a wall of the pocket book, and a spring actuated depending member provided with.

a sharp pointed pin or hook adapted, when the pocket book is fully entered in the pocket, to pierce a wall of the latter, thereby making it impossible to abstract the pocket book without first disengaging the pin or hook from the wall of the pocket.

The object of the invention is to provide a very simple and inexpensive pocket book attachment of the character above outlined which, when the pocket book is placed in the pocket of the owner, will automatically lock it in the pocket against unlawful abstraction, and which will also safeguard the pocket book against accidental. falling out of the pocket.

My invention, its novel structural features, and its advantages will be readily appreciatedby those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken in con nection with the accompanying drawing in which I have illustrated two simple and practical embodiments of the invention and wherein- Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a pocket, showing a pocket book therein equipped with my improved anti-theft and anti-loss device operatively engaged with one side wall of the pocket;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in vertical section, of the attachment itself, showing the position assumed by the pivoted depending tongue when the device is out of the pocket;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation as viewed from the right of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the pocket Serial No. 622,682.

book and attachment as the same appear in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an edge elevation of a simplified form of the attachment; and

Fig. 6 is a face elevation of the form shown in Fig. 5.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, l0 designates as an entirety a channel-shaped strip, to the transverse wall of which is secured as by rivets 11 and 12 an upwardly extending spring grip or clamp 13; this latter adapted to grippingly engage with one or more walls of a folded pocket book or bill holder designated as an entirety by 14; the grip or hook being passed down over the upper edge of said wall or walls and having a frictional grip on the latter.

In and between the upper ends of the side walls 15 of the body member 10 is pivoted a straight depending tongue 16, consisting of a thin, flat strip of metal, through the lower end of which is passed a small pointed pin 17 conveniently retained in place by bending the lower end 16 of the tongue upwardly over the head of the pin.

Attached to the transverse wall of the body member by the lower rivet 12 is an upwardly extending light leaf spring 18, the upper end of which bears on the inner or rear side of the tongue 16 slightly below the pivot of the latter. For simplicity and economy of. structure the upper end of the tongue 16 may be formed with a pair of integral laterally extending round pintles 16 which extend through bearing apertures in the side walls 15.

The manner of using this safety attachment is readily apparent from the foregoing description. The hook or clip 13 is passed down over the upper edge of one or more of the walls of the pocket book, with the member 10 hugging the outer side of the wall or walls to which the hook or clamp is applied. When inserting the pocket book and attachment in the pocket, the user presses the tongue 16 inwardly with his finger as the pocket book is slid downwardly into the pocket, and the instant this pressure is released, the spring 18 forces the tongue 16 outwardly against the adjacent wall P of the pocket, and the pin or hook 17 at once pierces the latter, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, thus forming an anchor which makes impossible the withdrawal of the pocket book through the open upper edge of the pocket until the tongue 16 has been pressed back sufiiciently "to retract thepin or hook 17. This is very readily done by the owner when he wishes to withdraw his pocket book; but it is evident that should a thief insert his hand into the pocket and attempt to withdraw the pocket book, the tug on the pocket of the wearer thereby caused would: instant-i larly favoring the accidental dislodgement of the pocket book from the pocket.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have illustrated a some whatsimpler embodiment of the same principle the device shown in said figures comprising simply a hook or clamp l3"prefer'- ably of relatively heavy spring metal, and a curved depending tongue 16 attached there- -to as by rivets 19; the tongue 16 being of somewhat lighter spring metal than the hook or clamp 13. This form of the device is somewhat simpler and cheaper to manufacture than the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4: inclusive; but it is not quite so easy to manipulate by the owner, since in withdrawing the pocket book the owner has to pass his finger nearly to the lower end of the tongue 16 in order to retract the pin or hook 17,- whereas, in the form shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, a light pressure on the upper end portion oi the tongue 16 suffices to retract thepin or hook.

I claim' 1. An anti-theft device for pocket books, comprising a member adapted to grip a wall of the pocketbook, and a depending outwardly spring pressed tongue'connected at its upper end to said gripping :member and carrying a pin adapted topierce a wall of the pocket.

2. An anti-theft device for pocketbooks,

comprising a hook-shaped clamp adapted to be passed down over the top edge of a wall of a pocket book and grippingly engage with the latter, and-a depending outwardly spring pressed tongue connected at itsuoper end to said clamp and carrying at its lower end a pin adapted to pierce a wall of the pocket.

3. An anti-theft device for pocket books,'i comprising a body member, a springclamp attached tosaid body member and adapted to be passed downover'the top "edge of awall of a pocket book and grippingly en-' ;;1 gage with the latter, a depending tongue. pivoted at its upper end to said body mem' her and carrying a pin adapted to pierce a wall of the pocket, and a spring between said body member and tongue-urging the latter outwardly toward said wall. 7

4. An anti-theft device for pocket bookse comprising a channel-shaped body mem lo.er,-':

a spring clamp attached'to saidbodyamema" berand adapted to be passeddown over'thei top edge of a wall of a pocket book and grippingly engage with the latter," a depending tongue pivoted at' its upper end'in. and between the side walls ofpsaid body member and carrying a pin adapted'to pierce a wall of the pocket, and a leaf spring between said body member and'tongue urg'-. ing thelatter-outwardly toward said wall.

5. An anti-theft attachment for pocket books, comprising a channel-shaped body. member, a hook-shaped spring clampv at-'a0 tached to said body member and adapted to be passed down over thetop edge of a wallof a pocket book and grippingly engage with the latter, a depending straight tongue piv'e oted at its upper end in and between the side walls of said body member and carrying at? its lower end; a pin adapted to'piercefa wall: of the pocket, and a leaf spring attached at: its lower end to said body member and 'at'its' upper free end bearing against said tongueeo slightly below the pivot of the latter.-

SIEGMUN D ROESNER. 

